Cams and cam surfaces have been employed in a wide variety of applications, including hinges, valves, mechanical switches, carburetors, transmissions, metal forming machines and internal combustion engines, to name but a few. Furthermore, they have been built according to a broad range of designs. Some designs have a cam surface at an axial end of a cam component, while others have a cam surface along a portion of the longitudinal length of the cam component. In most cases, movement by a first cam component causes a resultant movement in one or more second cam components.
One example of an application using a cam device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,241, issued May 11, 1976 to Little. This patent discloses a counterbalance hinge mechanism for a cabinet lid that includes a stationary hinge rod for rotatably supporting a pair of lid mounting cam members, and slidably supporting a pair of non-rotatable cam followers. An adjustable spring assembly serves to bias the cam followers into engagement with the cam members, in order to counterbalance gravity induced torque effects of the lid throughout a substantial portion of lid opening movement.